Iraq

The Assessment covers thematic categories: political participation, civil society and women in decision making; violence against women and the right to personal security; labor and economic rights; family and marriage; nationality; health; and education.

As part of a series of articles about the law and its amendments, exclusively published by Niqash, Dr. Faiza Babakhan, a lawyer and legal advisor for women’s affairs and a member of parliament, outlines her recommendations.

Defending the rule of law and women's rights is costing some Iraqi lawyers their lives. Since October 2005, 38 lawyers have been murdered and hundreds attacked for defending cases which their enemies say are "against Islam".

"Respect for women... can triumph in the Middle East and beyond," said George Bush at the UN in September 2002. But numerous studies and surveys over the past three years proved that the situation of Iraqi women worsened under the US occupation.